Raptors sign ACC Defensive Player of Year as NBA Draft undrafted free agent

Billy Heyen

Raptors sign ACC Defensive Player of Year as NBA Draft undrafted free agent image

The Toronto Raptors have hung their hat on defense in recent years.

They got another great defender to add to the mix, and they didn't even need to use a draft pick to do so.

Shortly after the conclusion of Thursday's NBA Draft second round, the Raptors reached an agreement with undrafted free agent Chucky Hepburn out of Louisville, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Over the winter, Hepburn was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Hepburn is a defensive menace on the perimeter.

He began his college career at Wisconsin before winding up at Louisville.

Hepburn led the ACC with 2.4 steals per game. The year before, at Wisconsin, he grabbed 2.1 steals per game.

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The Omaha, Nebraska-native grew as a scorer in his final college season.

With Louisville, Hepburn averaged 16.4 points per game. He also dished out 5.8 assists per game.

This is a guy who has a real chance to stick if he's given the runway to improve.

Hepburn is coming to the NBA on a two-way deal, which means he'll get a lot of action in the G League. That might be just what he needs to take the final steps toward NBA readiness.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle